Chapter 229: Ideals

Thank goodness I didn’t get into a debate with her about the maid issue, Jiang Shan thought. He was getting weary. It was true, he came from a privileged background and was highly capable. He sometimes even prided himself on being a social elite. But he wasn’t fond of the term “high society”; in fact, he found it somewhat repulsive.

As for deliberately hiding his excellence, yes, that was true. Because the Senate was a ruling collective. Jiang Shan was well aware of the sense of crisis among the “soy-sauce Elders” in the Senate. Although he found their sense of crisis somewhat inexplicable, collective consciousness was often irrational. If he were to be too sharp and conspicuous, it would definitely not do any good for his career in this new world.

“I don’t like being called an elite,” Jiang Shan said. “It’s easy to become detached from the masses.”

“You are no longer the masses. You have no awareness of being a ruling class.”

“The masses of the ruling class.”

“That’s just ridiculous,” the woman said with a laugh. “You are clearly the most powerful rulers in this time and space, yet you insist on pretending to be simple and hardworking, always putting on the face of a common laborer. It’s so contrived it’s hard to understand. I really don’t get who you’re trying to please. The common people or yourselves? Are you the rulers or the ruled?”

What is she up to? Jiang Shan wondered. What is she implying with these strange words? He had always thought of Cheng Yongxin as a well-read, somewhat knowledgeable, and rather conceited literary young woman. He had met many like her. But today, she clearly had a purpose, an intention to influence him.

“Alright, alright,” Jiang Shan said with a slight smile. “We are indeed the ruling class. As for whether we are conscious of it, I’m afraid time will tell. The transformation of identity is also a long process.”

“How’s your personal secretary?” she suddenly changed the subject. “I think she’s not bad looking. Just a bit thin.”

“Very good. Very good at housework. And quite smart. The key is that she’s a good cook, one of those rare people whose taste you can communicate with.”

“You know that’s not what I’m asking.”

“Do you like to compare?” Jiang Shan laughed. “I don’t think anyone, man or woman, likes to be compared.”

“Just curious,” Cheng Yongxin said, hugging her knees. “How much better am I than them? In what way? I want to know what the male Elders are really thinking.”

“It’s a long story.”

“You work in intelligence. Being concise shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Taste, conversation, ideas.”

“Just as I thought.”

“The current maids are lacking in all three areas, aren’t they?”

“Not just lacking, but severely lacking.”

“Then why do all the single and horny male Elders look down on the female Elders? Those single female Elders, except for that girl in the exploration department, don’t seem to have boyfriends. Even casual, non-binding relationships are rare.” She suddenly added, “Did you know that Xiao Zishan often spends the night at Li Xiaolu’s dormitory?”

“That’s a personal matter. As for the others, perhaps fate has not brought them together yet.”

“You’re playing dumb again,” she said with a charming smile. “Alright, I can’t outwit you. Besides the fact that some male Elders are just too pathetic, it’s really the precedent set by Liu San and Wu Yunhua.”

Jiang Shan said, “A single case doesn’t prove anything. Otherwise, Bai Guoshi would be a counterexample.”

“No, Bai Guoshi is the isolated case. Most male Elders are unwilling to pursue single female Elders. Look at that Elder Ge in the chemical department. Isn’t she good-looking? Why doesn’t anyone pursue her? It’s not because they don’t want to or the female Elders aren’t attractive, but because they’re afraid that marriage to a female Elder will hinder their pursuit of having three wives and four concubines. Don’t you think so? The divorce case of Wu Yunhua and Liu San, although Liu San came out of it unscathed, almost a perfect exit, he was still scared for a few days and had to go into hiding for a few months. No one likes that kind of trouble. So they’d rather make do.”

“Your observation and analysis skills are not bad.”

“Thank you. That’s why I think I should do something.”

Jiang Shan asked, “Are you going to be a matchmaker?”

“I don’t have the time. The Civil Affairs Department has given me a huge pile of county yamen archives. Besides, I’m a single woman of advanced age myself. Being a matchmaker wouldn’t be very convincing,” she said. “I want to train maids.”

“Train maids?”

“Not the kind of training you’re thinking of. Didn’t you say it yourself? Many Elders complain that their personal secretaries lack taste, which is to say, they don’t understand what they’re talking about. The Elders would be very happy to have someone give their maids a kind of subtle ‘education’ to bring about a qualitative leap. I want to start a magazine for the personal secretaries. I work at the Grand Library, so I have a natural advantage in terms of resources, and I’m a modern woman. Of course, Dingding would have to approve.”

“Very interesting,” Jiang Shan said, a look of doubt in his eyes.

“Of course, I’m not a living Lei Feng. If there’s no benefit for me in doing this, wouldn’t that be strange?”

“Perhaps you’re doing it to maintain the overall situation of the Senate.”

“Yes, yes, you could say that,” Cheng Yongxin laughed. “You see, I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in the Grand Library as a translator of ancient texts. The best I can hope for is to become the director after Yu E Shui doesn’t want the job anymore. By the way, I’ve argued with him about professional matters. He might even tell the Organization Department that I’m not up to the task…”

“You could work outside. The administrative agencies are short of people everywhere. The education system too.”

“My ideals are a bit higher than that.”

“Do you want to be a member of the Executive Committee?”

“At least at the level of a People’s Commissar. Of course, not now. I’m not that arrogant yet, and I don’t have the ability. But in ten or twenty years, it should be possible. So I hope to build up some prestige for myself now. Staying in the Grand Library gives me no presence at all. No one knows me.”

“Such a grand ideal. Why tell me?”

“To ask for your help.”

“What can I help with?”

“Nothing much, sir. You are like the Buddha. When the time comes, just loosen your grip a little and don’t slap me down directly, and this little woman will be eternally grateful,” Cheng Yongxin said with a pitiful frown. “You know most people in the Senate have a little prejudice against women.”

“Is that all you ask?”

“I think it’s quite a lot.”

“Alright,” Jiang Shan said. “People with ideals should be respected.”

“That’s great,” Cheng Yongxin laughed. “Would you like something to eat? I brought sandwiches.”

“No, eating late at night is not a good habit,” he said, stretching. “Shouldn’t we do something more interesting?” Jiang Shan smiled faintly. “The spring night is short.”

He heard the steady breathing of the woman sleeping beside him. The fatigue after the climax made his eyelids heavy, but he couldn’t fall asleep for a while. Rando’s report once again entered his mind. He had read it so many times during the day that he could still clearly visualize the words of the report in his head. Using minor characters from Star Wars as codenames for foreign intelligence operations was the strange taste of either Li Yan or some other Elder. But the reality was, if the Army and Navy under the Senate were considered the clone army, he had no right to mobilize them to eliminate this potential threat, let alone any Jedi knights to use. He could only rely on a mercenary whose background he knew to deal with another mercenary he knew nothing about.

The Elders attending the joint meeting were also divided. Some supported having Rando lead a special reconnaissance team to assassinate He Er, while others suggested ignoring him for the time being and sending an expeditionary force to wipe out Manila after completing the first phase of the continental campaign. It was estimated that after the Haiqi sent back the intelligence photos of the Dahlgren guns in Manila, the military-industrial departments would certainly be in an uproar…

Jiang Shan woke up. The sky was slightly bright. He felt a heavy gaze staring at him.

The woman was leaning on the pillow next to him, looking at his face.

“You talked a lot in your sleep,” she murmured. “You’re under a lot of pressure.”

“Did I scream or make any other strange noises?”

She sighed, looked at his forehead cautiously, and stroked it with her finger. “It’s six o’clock now. Do you want to sleep a little longer?” she asked.

“No,” he said. “The coachman will be here to pick me up in an hour.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t meet at night. Your sleep time is too short.”

“A proper sex life makes one energetic,” Jiang Shan said. “I’m getting up.”

She got out of bed, casually draped her nightgown over her naked body, and walked barefoot to the sofa, handing him the clothes he had thrown there messily last night.

“Thank you,” Jiang Shan said.

“It’s a woman’s pleasure to serve the man she loves.”

“This pleasure is really great for a man.”

The woman smiled silently. “Enjoy it.”

Jiang Shan left Lychee Grove No. 3 at seven o’clock sharp. He returned to his office, still carrying the faint scent of carnations.

The secretary brought him the latest intelligence compilation and internal publications, still smelling of ink.

“Coffee, no sugar,” he said, flipping through the pages with his head down. “And a sandwich.”

“Yes, Director.”

The coffee was the special supply from the General Office, Golden South Sea, black with no sugar or milk, just as Jiang Shan liked it. He took a sip, picked up a sandwich, and chewed on it while picking up the phone on his desk.

“Connect me to the office of the Chief of the Analysis Division.”

The call went through in ten seconds. Wang Ding was already in his office.

“There’s something. Do you know a person named Cheng Yongxin? You do? Good. I need a file on her. Yes, I know that accessing an Elder’s Organization Department file requires permission from the General Office. And don’t go to Wu Mu, they won’t admit to this. Try to find out what you can. Don’t write any materials, just come and see me directly.”

Alright, let’s be prepared. Let’s see what you’re really up to, Jiang Shan thought to himself, drinking his coffee.